DETENTION OF INDRADEVI.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 858, 2 July 1910, Page 5

DETENTION OF INDRADEVI.

'SOUTHERN MERCHANTS PROTEST. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) v Dunedin, July 1. To-morrow morning, at 11 o'clock, a meeting of members of tho Chamber of Commerce and of consignees of cargo by f;he Indradevi (recently on fire at Auckland) will be held. Its purpose is to protest, against the action of the Government shipping surveyors at Auckland in declining to allow the Indradevi to proceed to southern ports to discharge her cargo .before she has been, docked in Auckland and completely repaired. This will mean a matter of some five or six weeks, and the consignees point out that the underwriters' surveyors, and ships' officers reported some days ago that the steamer could proceed south as soon as temporary repairs were effected. The surveyor said that, it would only take two or three days to make absolutely necessary repairs, and, in his opinion, would be more satisfactory to leave the' more or less damaged southern cargo aboard than to incur the heavy expense of transhipping. It is contended also that this cargo is undergoing deterioration in Auckland, and ; the consignees are being put to inconvenience ami loss.

The cargo which, is consigned to Christchurch and Wellington is in the same position, and the . Dunedin merchants propose that united , action should be taken .to,make a formal protest to. the Minister for 'Marine 'with as view -to the vessel proceeding, south as soon-as temporary repairs are effected. ' , .